Are You Sure?
by Velia-Marie
Summary: When security treats start emerging, SHIELD becomes on edge. They are all mainly targeted at none other than Mr. Stark himself, because he's got the money as well as the tech. With him out of the picture, the top of this industry would be up for grabs. But, what will happen when these of enemies isn't what he expected at all? Rated M for safety.
1. Chapter 1

_**A/N: Ok, sorry guys, you all probably hate me now for never finishing a story. One of these days I will! I promise! But I just get new ideas and i cant help but write them down and share it! I do have a poll up and running so you guys can vote too. So, again, I apologize, but please, enjoy! ;)**_

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"Stark!" Nick Fury, the director of SHIELD raised his voice at the Avenger. "Are you listening?" They were having a emergency video conference and Tony Stark was off in his own world, as usual. Why should he listen? He has better things to do, actually, he didn't, but Fury was annoying him anyways.

"Listening? Of course! Could you just repeat that again so that JARVIS can hear you?" Fury sighed and rubbed his hand down his face.

"Sir, I can hear just fine. I can also relay the information to you later in case you forget. Again." JARVIS said from overhead. Ah, yes his trusty companion. That should be enough for Tony so that he doesn't screw something up.

"Thanks JARVIS." Tony said as he reached for the remote to turn off the T.V.

"No! Stark! You need to listened to me!" Tony sighed and sat down on his sofa as he sipped on a glass of Scotch. Fury started again, but saying less of the small details so that Tony's attention span wouldn't run out this time. "Baron Ackley. He owns a major facility in Europe. He has invented many things and I'm sure you've heard of him, considering he is your only worthy competitor when it comes to the industry game."

"Yes, yes, yes. The ever so modest and humble Baron Ackley. A brilliant man. He disgusts me." Tony replied with a snarky tone. Fury was talking to him like he knew nothing. If anything, he probably knew more than the director. Then he asked, "What about him? All he does is keep his mouth shut in his little cottage by the sea." He took another drink of his Scotch.

"Well, he's been a little less quiet in the past few months. Our agents have found out that he has made his own secret academy." Fury was interrupted yet again by Tony.

"So what? You want me to go blow it up?" He leaned back with his hand behind his head. "It's just an academy, no harm done." Fury was starting to get agitated.

"There will be! It's no ordinary academy! It a training facility. For agents. For soldiers. For assassins." Tony scoffed then chuckled. "Mr. Stark! What's so funny?" Tony stopped chuckling and cleared his throat.

"It's just. I know where this is going. Look, Nick. A lot of people want to kill me, so what's the big deal? Heck, half of the world's population wishes Banner didn't even exist! What makes this one treat any different than all the 500 other threats?" Fury sighed. He was about ready to sock him in the jaw.

"The difference is this: Ackley is a real threat because he is smart, as smart as you are. He just doesn't have the same tech as you. That's what he wants. As soon as he gets it, who knows what he can do. He's a combination of you and Hydra, but he's also a wolf in sheep's clothing. And if he has trained assassins, then this could also be security threat to our country. I already have Rodgers talking to US Security and Romanoff and Barton are in Europe right now looking for him and the academy."

"What do you mean that they're looking for him? You don't know where he is?" Tony became slightly interested, but not enough to put him in alarm.

"No. Ackley has been off the grid for the past four years." Tony scoffed again. "I can assure you, Romanoff knows what she's doing. And so does Barton. He and his academy will be found. As for you! There is a possibility Ackley has already sent a few of his agents and assassins. If our calculations here at SHIELD are correct, then he has sent at least six. And they're all after you."

"Alright, do you have their names?" Tony was yet again sounding snarky. This was ridiculous. It's just another threat. Besides, how good at training could he possibly be? Even if her hired someone, he wouldn't know who to get.

"We assume they are Dallon Currier, Emerson Garrick, Lee Kent, Bentley Adler, Halton Kenley, and Miller Lawson. But of course, they are all undercover." Tony nodded. None of these names were familiar to him, but no matter. He'd just check them all out, or rather, he'll have JARVIS do that for him.

"Alright. Sounds good. Now, I will stay as low keyed as Loki." He chucked at his own joke. "But in all seriousness, I will keep a look out."

"Thank you." Fury said with a sense of relief.

"Now, enough of that. You have a good day Nick, I'll be off!" And with that, before Nick could say another word, he signed off and turned off his flatscreen T.V. "Alright JARVIS. I need you to look up those guys and check out asany airline security footage in the last 24 hours and try to match any faces. Actually make that 72 hours."

"Right away, Sir."

"Awesome, now. I'm going to Monte Carlo!"

"Sir, Mr. Fury just told you not to show yourself to the media."

"I was kidding." There was a pause before anyone spoke again.

"Mr. Stark."

"Yes, JARVIS."

"I think you should take this more seriously, sir."

"And why's that?"

"Well, Mr. Stark, my purpose is to aid you in any way, and I cannot do that is you are not around."

"Okay, fair enough." Tony got up. "JARVIS, I'm going to go get a bite to eat."

"Sir, I can just order in something for you so you so don't have to go out." JARVIS offered.

"Alright fine.." Tony sat back down. There was absolutely nothing to do.

"How about some sesame chicken and white rice along with a serving of egg drop soup, sir?" Tony nodded and started to pace around. "And to drink, sir?" Tony looked at his empty cup of Scotch.

"Nothing. Actually, let's change things up. How about some hot tea?" Tony scoffed at himself. Hot tea? Not something he drinks very often, if not ever.

"Alright, sir." With that there was silence as Tony let out a loud and bored sigh.

"JARVIS! There's nothing to do.." Tony whined. It was unlike him, but for once, he had a lazy day. He hated lazy days. Having nothing to do is basically a form of torture for him.

"Well sir, I could call Ms. Potts and invite her over to have dinner with you." Tony sighed. It wasn't a bad suggestion, but Tony knew Pepper was busy.

"No, she's got company stuff to do.."

"Ok, well sir, you could go to the Avengers Tower and work on the new equipment for the team? Our security there is very tight, after all, it is the same one used here, you will be safe." Tony sighed. Cap has been annoying lately. Well, more annoying anyways. Tony was about ready to punch him in the mouth.

"No. I'll go another time. They'll be fine until the next mission."

"Maybe you could work on your other suit?" JARVIS finally suggested something that seemed enjoyable! To an extent, considering, there wasn't much work to be done on it anyways.

"Yeah alright.. I guess that'll work, for now anyway." Tony headed to his lab downstairs and started to get the tools he would need. "JARVIS, put on some tunes, would ya? Then I'll let you go to do what you gotta do."

"Okay, sir." JARVIS put on Tony's work playlist and then fell silent.

Tony was by himself now. He got to work on his suit. All it needed was a few tweaks on the helm as well as work on the right arm. It did get beaten up pretty badly after the last battle this suit was in. Tony hummed to the AC/DC song that was playing as he took a piece off the arm. He went over to a work desk and started to repair it. A little less than half an hour went by when the doorbell rang.

"Sir, your food has arrived." Tony spun away from his desk on his wheeled chair.

"Fantastic. I'll be there in a sec." He got up and dusted himself off.

"I've done a full body scan on the delivery girl. She is clear of any possibly weaponry." Tony nodded and walked upstairs.

"Sounds good, JARVIS. I love not dieing." He answered the door and there was a timid teenager holding a plastic back with just the faintest off steam coming from it. In his other hand was a cup of tea. "Even though you're about five minutes late, I'm still gonna pay you." Tony was about to pay her but her name tag caught his eye. "Denis?"

"Uh, yes. It's my last name. Erin Denis. I- I'm a new employ. I-it's my first job." The girl avoided eye contact as she stuttered with a slight accent, obviously intimidated, but of course, who wouldn't be? He was THE Tony Stark after all. But another thing caught his eye. There was a stains on her uniform.

"And what of this?" He pointed at the stains.

"Oh.. that. I-I'm a cluts. I dropped a bottle of soy sauce this morning. It sorta got all over me. I'm sorry. I do look awful right now. It's been a long day." Her hair was slightly messy and her makeup was smudged.

"Isn't it always." He grabbed the bag of food then handed her a fifty dollar bill. He then grabbed the tea. She looked slightly stunned.

"Sir, the food and drink was just $23.16. A-and I don't have any cash on me." She shuddered out.

"Ah, just keep the change." Tony said then shut the door on her. "Alright. Dinner time!"


	2. Chapter 2

The delivery girl walked away from the huge house, ridiculous in size. She hopped onto her bike and started to ride away. It would be a long trip back to her makeshift base. With one hand, she got her phone out of her pocket and put her earbuds on. She started to make a call as she sped down the road.

"Hey.. yeah, of course it is.. Well, I know where he is at at the moment. His house…. yes of course I found out where he lives… You make it sound like finding someone in under two week is impossible.." Her boss always valued her. She was the best of the best. There was no doubting it. "The others don't even have a lead?.. That's hilarious. Am I really that much smarter than them?.. Oh, well Emerson can just put a sock in it.. Well, apparently… Alright.. I have a plan.. Find first, finish later… Because I wasn't sure if that was even him!.. Just let me do my job please?.. Thank you, bye."

She hung up then turned on some music. She put on her favorite playlist and started to hum to the song "Miss Jackson" by Panic! At The Disco. She threw the stupid hat that she borrowed off of her head and pulled her hair out from her hair tie.

"You put a sour little flavor in my mouth now. You move in circles hoping no one's gonna find out." She sang to herself. It made her chuckle; it was almost as if the song was about herself. After one would meet her, more than likely the sour, metallic taste of blood would be left. But then again, she was so good at her job, so there was no need to hide everywhere, one spot would do. But she did have to travel through two cities from the small town she was in to finally get to Stark. Now she got him, and she could go back and gather up her base then head out again and 'move in circles'.

As she drove through a small part of the town she saw a breaking new report through a store window. She stop her bike and looked at the T.V screen.

"Two men have been caught and taken into custody . They are suspected for the murders of Greg Alco and Owen Braxton. They are also suspect for the drive by shooting at Willow's Cafe. There names are Bentley Adler and Halton Kenley. They will go on trial Thursday morning." She looked at their pictures, and of course, they were two of the fools sent along with her.

"Dammit.. Those idiots. I don't know why they're even here in the first place…" Now, she had a new job. Get those two out. But, for the fun of it, she decided to leave them there for a little while. She had bigger fish to fry anyway.

She got her small base, which wasn't much. Just a little set up in an old, abandoned train station. She started to gather her things into her bag and realized a few things were missing. She turned around and there was a man with a gun pointed at her.

"Who are you?" He asked bitterly. She dropped her bag and raised her hands.

"I'm just a sixteen year old girl. Just getting my stuff together, then I'll be on my way." She slowly went down, but he figured with the gun. She stopped. "No need to use that."

"That's quite the accent, little girl. Your daddy a rich man?" He asked as he gestured to the bike sitting outside.

"Well, we saved up for that noted bike. Every penny went into that bike." He walked in front of the doorway.

"Mind if I take it off your hands?" Now she was getting annoyed.

"Actually, I do." She kicked his arms up and he fired off the gun, its shots going through the ceiling. She took the gun away from him in one swift movement and pointed it at him. He charged her, but she elegantly got out of the way. "I'm no doll, now, if you don't mind,would you give me back what you stole?" She picked up her bag and held it open, the other hand still holding the gun. He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out some papers and a book. "Where's the coat?" She asked and her took off his jacket, her coat fitting awfully small on him. "Now the coin purse?" He pulled out her wallet and put the items in her bag. "Thank you." She nodded me started to walk out. But before she got on her bike, she turned around. The man had a knife in his hand. "Now, that's not too kind." She shot him twice in the head and he fell with a loud thud. "But neither am I." She got on her bike and started to ride off.

After a while, she made it to the next town over. By then, it was dark. She wasn't paying attention to how much gas she had on her bike. The bike started to slow down and she headed to the side of the road. Luckily, nobody was out this late, but that also means there was nobody she could trick.

"Crap…" She got off and started walking. She looked around, there'd have to be somebody somewhere to help her out. She looked and saw a light on in a restaurant. Somebody was closing up shop. Perfect. She went over to the door, and before she knocked, she thought of what she could say. "What are my names again? Lee Kent, Aria Kent of course. Oh right, the new one; Erin Denis. I'll just use Erin Kent." She knocked on the door timidly and waited. After a minute or two, she knocked again. A woman came up to the door. She looked at Aria, no, now Erin. She looked at Erin with a sad expression. Erin looked her in the eyes and mouthed one simple word. "Help." The woman unlocked the door for her

"Come in, hurry, it's cold." She said then looked at her bike. "My Lord! That motorcycle!" She said and looked at Erin. "There a place out back where you can put it. It'll be safe there. I'll go ahead and put it back there." She took the bike and disappeared around the corner of the building. Erin put her bag down and looked around. It was a nice little coffee shop. Everything in it's place. There was a table where a standing lamp was turned on beside it, a pile of napkins and silverware piled on one side of the table. Another pile had the all nicely folded together. The lady walked in through the back door and sat down at the counter. She turned on another light.

"Th...this is a nice place.." Erin said innocently.

"Why thank you. I just opened it up a few months ago." The lady said then got out two cups. "Would you like some hot cocoa?" Erin nodded and the woman started to make it. "I'm Clare, by the way." As she stirred the cocoa she glanced up at Erin. "So, who are you?"


	3. Chapter 3

Erin didn't even flinch; she knew what to say.

"I'm Erin. Erin Kent." she said and then coughed and shivered slightly. She should be payed to do this stuff, she's basically an actress for Ackley Industries.

"And… where you from? How'd you get into this little situation that you're in?" Clare finished making Erin's cup of hot chocolate and carefully slid it over to her. She then started to make her own as Erin started to speak.

"Well…" She sighed a shaky sigh. "It started a while back. We all came from Europe and. Me.. my brother. My parents. We've been here a few years. My brother went into the police force. It made us a target for these crazy men. They.." She sniffled as she told the made up story. "They started a fire at our house. They killed both of my parents. They tried to kidnap me, but I got on my brothers bike and sped away. You see, I had just got my motorcycle driver's license. My brother was going to give me his bike as a gift when he got home, said he'd show me how to get used to the bike and teach me a few ticks. I haven't heard from him since." Erin was very good at being heartbroken. She could tell this lady was buying it. "Everyone assumes I'm dead though. I was cut pretty bad on my arm and I lost a lot of blood. But, I got away.." She sighed and looked at the ground. "I never take off this jacket. That way no one can see the scar…"

"Well, I won't make you show me." Clare sipped on her cup of coco. "You look like you haven't eaten in awhile. You want something to eat?" Erin shook her head.

"I just need a place to stay. Just for the night at least." She looked at her with pleading eyes then drank some more of her hot cocoa as Clare nodded as she got up.

"Well, I can offer a little more than that. I can give you some cash." She opened the cash register and handed her a fifty dollar bill, "It's no big deal, really." Erin took it gratefully. "Now, follow me upstairs. There's a spare room up there. I sometimes use it if I stayed in the shop too late." They went up a few old and wooden steps and she led her through a door into a snug, little room with a spring bed and a small wooden desk. "It's not much, but I can find a better blanket somewhere if you'd like?"

"No, no, no! It's perfect! I couldn't thank you enough." She looked at her with fake gratitude, but Clare bought it.

"Well, okay then. You are welcomed to stay for however long you need to." Clare said as she walked towards the door.

"Thank you." Erin gave a small smile as she set down her bag beside the bed. "Oh! I do need some fuel for my bike.. But it's okay if that's too much to ask.." Clare smiled at her.

"No! Of course not. I'll have you bike ready to go by morning." Clare gave her a slight nod then walked out, but Erin waited and listened for her footsteps to trail away before she really did anything else other than sit on the bed. After a few seconds, she heard the footsteps leaving. When the were gone, Erin quickly went to her bag and got her laptop out. She turned on her hotspot on her Ackley In. phone and link it to her laptop. She started to search up the nearest stores and gas stations as well as places she could raid. Places that were small enough that it wouldn't be a big deal, but big enough that there would be actual stuff to get. She found three places then started to look up more information about the one and only, Tony Stark. The greedy, selfish,rich boy, Tony Stark Just as she started to find something interesting, her phone started to buzz. It was Ackley… again.

"Hello? What is it?" she answered with a hushed voice.

"What are you whispering? Are you in jail! Is this even Aria?" Ackley got just a tag bit angry but he was also concerned.

"What? Of course this is Aria. And no I am not in jail. I fooled a lady into letting me stay the night in her restaurant. My bike ran out of fuel. I just got fifty dollars from her, a place to sleep away from the cold, and free fuel from her." She said with pride tinted in her tone.

"Ah, that's my girl!" Ackley praised her. He was always so proud of Aria, and she knew it.

"I know. Anyways, what do you need?"

"Your.. project.. How's it going?"

"My mission? Yes, It's going fine. I'm going to toy with him before I sent the bullet through his heart. He'll regret taking that reactor out of his chest."

"Well then, I'm alright with it, but get it done. Eventually. But for now, drop the job."

"What!? No!" She raised her voice at him, but lowered it immediately. "No. I've invested too much time and energy into this mission, I'm not just going to drop it."

"No, no, no. Just listen. You're still going to do it. But I need you to do something else as well. None of the other agents and assassins know about this. It's a special job for you." Aria became interested.

"Alright, you've got my attention. What is it?"

"It's right up your alley. The city where Stark lives, there's a museum. Inside that museum, there's a beautiful and rare and raw sapphire gem. But this gem is extraordinary. I need it for a little project I'm working on in the UK area of Ackley In. It's in the oldest museum in the city, I'm sure you'll be able to find it."

"Oh, yes, of course. But giving me the name would be too easy, right?"

"Exactly." With that, Ackley hung up.

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 _ **Hey! So how do you guys like it so far? I got way more planned for this story! Sorry it's been going a little slow. But I'll be trying to get chapter 4 up today. I'll be hoping to post once a day, but my life has gotten really busy the past few days, more like the last week. This is actually a nice escape from all that chaos. Anyways, please F &F and reviews are greatly appreciated! Thank you!**_


	4. Chapter 4

Tony Stark had spent all night in his lab. He realized that his suit had needed more work than he thought and eventually fell asleep there. Man, that thing was really beat up. Some parts were beaten up beyond repair and he had to take a few pieces from a different suit.

"JARVIS, what time is it?" He asked yawning as he suddenly woke up.

"The time is 11:48 pm, sir." JARVIS said in his signature monotone voice.

"Cool, thanks." Tony went back to his work without another thought, but then JARVIS spoke up again.

"Sir."

"Yeah, JARVIS." Tony said while he continued to work.

"There's breaking news on right now. Would you like me to put it on the screen, sir?" Tony still wasn't paying much attention. Breaking news happened all the time.

"Yeah sure. Put it on." The music stopped and the news started to play. Tony didn't pay much attention. It wasn't that big of a deal.

"JARVIS, what's the big deal about this museum?" Tony got up and dusted off his hands.

"Well, sir, this is the oldest museum in the city. It seems that the oldest artifact has been stolen. No alarms were set off until the job was done." Tony finally started to become interested as he walked over to his desk. He made the holographic screen bigger and started to analyze the news report.

"So.. What exactly was stolen?" Tony asked as he looked around.

"A rare and raw sapphire stone, sir. It is not true sapphire though. It has traces of elements such as gold and titanium alloy."

"Really?" Gold and titanium alloy is was Tony used for his suits. This this was special, that's for sure.

"Yes. Along with diamond like properties and traces of steel. It is almost impossible to cut and refine, which is why it is still in a raw form." JARVIS had finished explaining as Tony listened to the report.

"So, there's no suspects found?"

"None at all, sir." They were both silent until Tony spotted something.

"Ah! Pause the report!" JARVIS paused it and waited for another command. "Alright.." Tony sectioned off a piece of the holographic screen and enlarged it even more. "JARVIS, make that image clearer, would ya?"

"Of course, sir." She image cleared up and he saw a girl. She was headed towards a bike with a bag. It seemed she was holding it rather close; she only had one shoulder strap on, almost as if she wanted to keep a watchful eye on the big pocket. "Well, she looks familiar.." Tony looked over at Mark 45.

"It's the delivery girl from earlier this evening, sir. Erin Denis, as she claimed." JARVIS was quick to look her up from her picture.

"Right, she claimed." He closed the screen and it vanished. "I'm going to check it out. Considering that rock is made from the same stuff as my suit, I'm pretty sure she's not taking it because it looks pretty." Tony made his way upstairs. "Hey, JARVIS. Make a cup of coffee for me."

"Already done, sir." JARVIS replied as Tony made his way up the stairs. He got his coffee and walked out the door.

"JARVIS, I'm going to go check it out. Keep Mark 44 ready." Even after all his past suits were destroyed, Tony decided to continue the numbering of the suits as they were. He was currently fixing Mark 43. He had only made two more, and was planning on just making one more.

"I assume there is no stopping you, sir." JARVIS said as he closed the door behind Tony after he had walked outside.

"No, there is not." Tony headed for his car. He drove off then realized he had no idea where this place was. Fortunately, JARVIS was connected with the GPS in his car. "JARVIS, where am I going?"

"To 516 Westbrook East Avenue. It is twenty-five minutes away." JARVIS put the coordinates on the GPS.

"Thanks, JARVIS." He said and drove in silence. He got there and the scene had settled. There were a few cops that were obviously very alert. One of them spotted Tony and his eyes widened.

"Tony Stark!" He exclaimed, but he didn't leave his post.

"Yep, it's me." Tony replied. A reporter who was about to leave stopped and ran to Tony. She gestured for the camera guy to roll.

"Mr. Stark! Mr. Stark! Have you heard what has happened here? What are your thoughts?" Tony stopped on the stairs of the museum and looked at the reporter through his dark sunglasses. Random people that were still there started to crowd them as the policemen tried to keep them back.

"Well, yes. I did hear about this whole heist, and as for my thoughts. Well, it seems odd that this roc would be taken. But everyone has their reasons."

"Mr. Stark, are you going to get the priceless artifact back?" The reporter urged on.

"You can certainly count on me figuring a few things out." With that, Tony headed up the stairs. Two policemen followed him and closed the door to the museum when the three of them were in.

"Alright, I want to see the broken display." Tony said as he took off his sunglasses. Both policemen nodded and led the way to an area that had a display case in the back of the room. There was no obvious signs that it had been broken into, other than the missing rock.

"We believe that the culprit disabled the security system on the case. There's an area in the back where a panel has been carefully removed. The system had been tampered with, and by the looks of it, the thief knew exactly what they were doing." Tony took a look and saw that obviously, this little thief was a pro at it.

"Interesting.." Tony then started to walk away. "I'll keep a lookout for any suspicious people." Tony then left them in slight confusion as he left the building.


	5. Chapter 5

As soon as he made his way out the front doors, the two policemen stormed out. They raced to their car and turned on the sirens as soon as they got in. They sped away and Tony turned to the three policemen that were still guarding the museum.

"What's going on?" He asked an officer that was listening in to his walkie-talkie.  
"There's been a break in. And a murder. A woman at the age of eighty-two was shot and killed in her home." Tony figured that somehow, two events like this happening in one day wasn't just a coincidence.

"Where at?" Tony eagerly asked.

"188 Marchend Street." With that, Tony was off. He jumped into his car and drove off, ignoring the street rules as always, but he was Mr. Stark, so it really didn't matter. He made it to the house in less than ten minutes and he walked up the steps of the mansion like house.

"Who was she?" He asked the officer outside the front door.

"Elinore Groesbeck. Eighty-two years old. Shot and killed about an hour or two ago. What a horrible way for an elderly lady to go." The woman said sympathetically.

"Yeah, horrible indeed." Tony said, a little less sympathetic than her. "Mind if I take a look?"

"Well, be my guest Mr. Holmes." She said, more annoyed at him now than anything. He scoffed then walked in. He looked around and went into the room where she Mrs. Groesbeck was shot. Her blood stained into the tile on the dining room floor. He really didn't get the picture of how bad this was until he completely walked into the room and looked around. Her blood was was on the wall and pooled in the ground beside it. And this was an eighty-two year old woman. By the looks of it, she was shot, then she stumbled and leaned back onto the wall. SHe then slid down the wall and took her last breaths lying on the ground. It took him a moment before he could talk again.

"So.. why is she dead?" He asked the police officers and detectives inside the room.

"We're not sure yet." A man answered, looking familiar. Maybe and agent of SHIELD. "But, there is something that was stolen, only one thing though. We've been asking around. This woman had no enemies, infact, she was friends with everyone. Considering only one thing is missing, we think the suspect came to steal it, but got caught and panicked."

"Hm.. yeah, maybe." Tony said, staring at the ground. "What was taken?" He asked as he turned and walked away from the stains.

"It was a glass figure. We found a picture of her and her late husband in this room, you can see the missing object in the back." Another agent handing him the picture. Tony looked at the object. It seemed to be an abstract but also a symmetrical mess of shapes stacked on top of each other; a circular base, next was a prism standing on a corner with a pyramid morphed into it, on top of that was a cube with a diamond or star morphed into that. then it was topped off with another circular base, but this one had more of a curve.

"What the hell is that?" Tony asked. It seemed to be of no importance.

"We have no idea, but nonetheless, it was stolen." The agent holding the picture said.

"This place doesn't have security camera by any chance?" the agents both shook their heads at Tony. "Of course…" He muttered then walked off. He avoided looking at the mared wall and floor as he put his sunglasses on. He hopped into his car and started to drive home. But then he saw something that caught his eye. A black ninja 600 bike. It's driver, a girl with a bag strapped tightly on.

* * *

Earlier that day.

* * *

Aria rode down the street on her bike. She had her bag tightly strapped to her, there was no way she was losing this stone. She was far from the museum now and was headed to a safe place to take a break. But then she got a call. She got her phone out and answered it. SHe swerved in the process, but luckily, no one was on the road but her.

"Hello?" She answered.

"Aria?" He asked.

"Yes, this is she. The only one who will ever answer this number, Baron." She said with a little bit of an attitude. Ackley scoffed.

"Well, good. So, I assume you got the sapphire? Because that is what's plastered on the news right now." Aira cursed under her breath.

"Yes… But I promise you, nobody knows it was me. I walked out and casually got no my bike and left. It's a fine morning for us, Baron, don't fret about it." Aria said with confidence.

"You better not have been caught." Ackley said with a little bit of venom. But that quickly vanished. "Anyways, hon, I have another little mission for you." He said and Aria sighed.

"Alright, what is it?" She asked reluctantly.

"I need you to go to 188 Marchend Street and get another little artifact for me. I'm sending you a picture of it, it's one of a kind. It's very special, very important. You're the only one I trust with this, so don't screw up." He hung up and a few seconds later, she got a text message.

"Yay another tag-and-bag mission…" she muttered and changed her route.

She made it to the house and parked her bike at the back of the house. SHe walked around the backyard and, man, was the house big.

"How am I going to find this thing?" She wondered to herself as she looked for a way in. There was a window that was opened and so she crawled it through there. It led her to a living room or den room. SHe silently walked around and made her way into the kitchen. She saw a bowl of fruit and realized how hungry she was, so she took an apple and a few grapes. She stumbled upon the dining room and immediately spotted what she was looking for on a shelf, just then, the owner of the house walked in. It was an old lady.

"Why, who are you, young miss?" She asked. She had the sweetest voice.

"Well, that's a difficult question. I'm not really anyone, but if I had to answer it, I'd say my name is Aria." The woman didn't even seem confused, she just smiled and nodded.

"Why, I bet you ran away from home and heard about the kind old lady who lives in the big house, didn't ya? Well, just take a seat and I'll fetch ya a plate of food and a cup of fruit punch." he said as she started for the kitchen. Aria liked this lady. Se gave off an awesome grandma vibe.

"No, I'm sorry, ma'am, but I just need something that's only here." The old woman didn't even seem distraught by what she had said. She just again responded sweetly.

"Well, what might that be?" She asked.

"I need that glass thing over there." Aira pointed at the object across the room and suddenly, the old woman became dark.

"You know about the stone at the museum, don't you…?" She asked warily. "You now of the Project.."

"Um, actually, no. I'm just doing what I'm told, ma'am." She said, she started to become confused.

"Don't go through with it. That may just look like some mess of a glass sculpture, but it's been passed down through my family for many generations." The woman started to explain her family's story. "My great-great grandfather created something that she thought would be a wonderful invention. But something went terribly wrong. It turned into a lethal weapon. Oh, just imagine if someone like Hitler got his hands on it…" She shivered at the thought.

"What could it do?" Aria asked with a slight sense of fear.

"It could wipe out a nation…" The old woman said. "My great-great-grandfather made the right choice. He separated all the components. He gave the glass to my great-grandmother and the stone to his brother. The other parts were lost in time. Later as the stone was passed down, it was donated to the museum once it had opened." The old lady looked her up and down. "You have it, don't you.?" Aria was quiet, then her phone rang. "Go ahead." She answered it.

"Stop chatting and get that sculpture!" Ackley yelled at her.

"Can.. can you see me?" Aira was caught off guard.

"Oh, darling, don't be so surprised. Now, hurry up and get that figure! I'm counting down.. if you don't kill her and take the object and get out of there in twenty seconds, I will kill you." Aira's jaw dropped.

"What!? Are you serious?"

"This hag knows too much.. she' report us.. I can't- we can't be caught. Now.. twenty.. nineteen.. eighteen.." He hung up. the clock was ticking. Her or the woman. Aira reached for her gun, got it out, and stared at it.

Fifteen seconds.

The old lady didn't even seem worried, instead, she was humble.

"Do what you must." The woman looked at a picture of her late husband and the rest of her family. "I know the Lord will welcome me home." She closed her eyes.

Ten seconds.

Aria picked up the gun and aimed. she stood there silent. Every nerve prickling in her arms.

Ten seconds.

"I'm sorry." She looked away and pulled the trigger. Without looking at the woman, she quickly grabbed the glass sculpture and ran to her bike.

Eight seconds.

There was a box outside that said "OPEN NOW". She quickly opened it. An earpiece was inside. Aria put it on then again sprinted for her bike.

Five.. Four.. Three.. Two..

She jumped on her bike and quickly drove off, but she was careful not to leave a trace.

One.


End file.
